


Thirteen Darknesses

by lolliipxps



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But Young Xehanort is sweet?, Corruption, M/M, Soranort - Freeform, Xehanort wins, thirteenth vessel, vessel!sora
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-04 17:03:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15151673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lolliipxps/pseuds/lolliipxps
Summary: Xehanort had done what Riku thought was impossible, he succeeded. Despite the joined efforts of Mickey, Riku, and Lea (Axel), they had failed. What will happen now that Sora is one of the thirteen darknesses? Will they be able to save him or will he be lost to them forever? (Originally posted July 2017)





	1. The Union

Everyone looked on as Sora's throne ever so slowly rose. When it started to do so Riku and Mickey didn't hesitate to move forward and try to rescue Sora. However, as they started to make their way up they were stopped by Xemnas and Ansem. Riku hadn't even quite made it off the ground yet. What little progress they had made was ruined when they found themselves being pinned to the ground, both struggling to break free. Meanwhile, Xehanort couldn't help but grin. Everything was going as planned.

"Sora, you have to wake up," Riku shouted, not caring how pointless it was seeing as he would most likely never reach the younger teen, "Don't let Xehanort win!"

That went exactly as predicted and Sora hadn't made a single movement. At this rate there was no way they would win and with them stuck, Sora was completely defenseless. It didn't take long for the throne to raise as high as it could go, right in Xehanorts line of fire. The moment the throne stopped Xehanort's grin widened as he made a golden light form around his keyblade.

The golden light shaped as a ball, the piece of Xehanort's heart was now making its way towards Sora. Said ball went at lightning speed and with no one there to stop it, it easily hit it's target. Instantaniously the light faded and darkness surrounded Sora's body but the teen still hadn't woken up. That's when Axel suddenly showed up, standing right in front of Sora.

"Sorry, but unfortunately for you, I won't be letting you take him," Lea commented with a smirk, though he wasn't quite aware of the full situation at the moment, "I've got a promise to keep, you see."

The redhead had expected a reply from at least someone, after all, he did just interfere in their business. However, when he did get a response, it wasn't one that he ever saw coming.

"Axel, I don't know how you got here but you're already too late," Xigbar spoke up, wearing his usual grin, "We've already won. If you don't believe me, how about you turn around and have a look yourself."

Lea was going to comment however, he decided to turn around to see what Xigbar was talking about. Darkness was still surrounding the teen but his hair started to change. It was still it's original brown but there were some obvious white streaks mixed in. His skin had evening darkening slightly. To say that Lea was shocked would be an understatement. However, despite the shock, he wasn't going to give up.

He picked the unconscious Sora up with on hand and turned around, starting to take off to join Riku and Mickey. However, the moment he did he found himself being attacked by one of the seekers that still had the hood over them. The attacker summoned a familiar keyblade, striking Lea, who blocked said attack. However, when the figure's hood fell back Lea's eyes widened. It was Isa, also known as Saix.

"Isa…?" Lea said in shock as he used all his strength to hold his former friend back. However, he wasn't able to hold him back for long and was overpowered. In order to avoid getting hit, Lea back flipped and created a good distance between himself and Isa.

Just below him, Mickey and Riku managed to get the upper hand aimed to hit Xemnas and Ansem. However, they quickly moved out of the way, floating in mid-air. Ansem summoned his guardian almost immediately. The guardian then proceeded to grab Mickey and Riku. The two tried to get away but still ended up in it's grip.

Lea made it to the ground, but it was then that Xemnas pulled a surprised attack on him, knocking the red head back. Doing this caused Lea to lose his hold on Sora, who was also pushed back, but a little farther back than Lea.

"You've already lost, Axel, Sora is ours now," Xemnas said with a smirk, "So how about you just let us have the boy, after all, there is nothing you can do anyways."

"My name isn't Axel, it's Lea, get it memorized," Lea said and shook his head, "You haven't won just yet!"

It was then that Lea fully realized that he no longer felt the weight of Sora. In his peripheral vision, he noticed the teen land and slide back.

Just as Sora hit the ground, Goofy and Donald appeared out of thin air and landed on Ansem's guardian. The guardian instantly disappeared, causing Donald and Goofy to land hard on the floor.

"Were we supposed to do that?" Donald commented.

"I think so… did we make it in time?" Goofy asked as he slowly stood up as well as Donald.

Mickey and Riku looked at Goofy and Donald with sadness. They had made it, but they made it too late. Riku heard a sound behind him and turned his head to see what was going on. Axel… What was he doing there? But when he noticed Sora sliding on the ground he temporarily let it go and ran towards his friend.

"Sora!"

The rest of the gang noticed as well and started to make their way over as well. Unfortunately. No one could get there in time as Young Xehanort appeared beside the still unconscious Sora. The Youngest Xehanort picked up the teen.

"The union of the thirteen darknesses has been achieved," Master Xehanort commented from above, "Now all we need is the union of the seven heroes of light. Once all of your heroes of light as united, we will meet at the fated place. The keyblade graveyard."

The seekers looked down at Sora in triumph before taking their exit one by one, disappearing within sight. The only ones left were Young Xehanort and the teen in his arms. The youngest smiled at them.

"Let Sora go right now," Riku snapped and pointed his keyblade at him, "He's not going anywhere with you."

Young Xehanort wasn't at all phased. "Don't worry, Riku, from now on we'll be the ones taking care of little Sora here. Until the next time."

A dark portal appeared behind the Young Xehanort and he turned his back to them, entering the portal. The portal closed immediately after, just before Riku could follow them.

"We have to report this to Yen Sid," Mickey spoke up, sadness and disappointment in his tone, "Don't worry, RIku, we'll get Sora back."


	2. Inner Turmoil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora gets a hard dose of reality.

Darkness. All around Sora there was nothing but darkness. Where was he? What was he doing there and why? That's when he remembered. He remembered seeing Young Xehanort and the darkness that had been around himself. He remembered 'fainting' right afterwards.

At first Sora had no idea where he was but this place... it seemed familiar. He had been a few times before, he just knew it. So where was he?

It was then that he realized that his place was his heart. He wondered why was it so dark and cold. This wasn't how it used to be, no, it use to be a warm place full of light. It was almost as if this wasn't his heart at all, but it was.

Sora was lost in his own heart and there was no light to guide him. The one thing he did know was that he was floating, had been for a while...

"Sora wake up," he could suddenly hear the sound of Riku's voice but just barely. It was more like a soft whisper really. "You can't let Xehanort win!"

Riki's voice was drowned out by a new one, one that he could hear clear as day.

 **You're friends never cared about you Sora. You've been fooling yourself the entire time.** Sora shook his head in denial. That wasn't true, he knew his friends cared as much as he did for them.

 _ **They have only used you. Riku has only ever been jealous of you, so much that he turned to the darkness. He would've even let Ansem kill you.**_ No, things weren't like that at all. Riku would have never wanted that. They were best friends. The teen had no idea how much darkness was taking over his heart.

Sora wasn't going to let the voice get to him so easily. Riku was going to save him, somehow, someway. He just knew it. One way or another he would escape this place.

Just as he said that a golden light appeared from above him, heading towards him. Perhaps his wishes came true, that this was his way out. He reached out his hands to catch the light that was getting closer and closer to him.

However, as the light got closer he could feel something off about it. Despite it being a light, it felt more dark and cold, like what he has been feeling this whole time. But he also felt a new presence radiate from it.

He pulled his hands back, immediately regretting his decision but it was too late. This golden orb went right into him. A strange feeling overwhelmed him before he closed his eyes.

The young teen opened his eyes only to be bombarded by a bright source of light. He instantly shot up and sat up in the bed he had been positioned on. Sora breathed a sigh of relief. That all must have been a dream.

"Phew! That was some weird dream," Sora said calmly before frowning and looking around, "Riku? Are you there...? Anyone?"

"That wasn't a dream at all and I'm afraid Riku isn't here," a voice said, one who Sora recognized as Young Xehanort's. "Riku never came for you."

Young Xehanort was lying of course but it's not like Sora had even been aware of what had really been going on. Not aware of what happened to him. Sora's eyes instantly widened when he heard Young Xehanort's voice.

"X-Xehanort, what are you doing here? Where am I?" Sora asked in confusion before getting off his bed, though he was barely stable due to drowsiness. "What do you mean he never came?"

"Why would I be here? After all, someone has to take care of you, our newest member." Young Xehanort smirked at the newest member and quickly stopped the teen from falling, "I mean when we came for you, he never came to save you. You've been asleep for days now. We were beginning to wonder if you were ever going to wake up."

Sora was in complete shock at the reveal. Organization 13 and Xehanort had won? That was impossible! There was no way his friends would have just let that happen. However, Sora also got a feeling that it could be the truth. The feeling coming from his heart was proof.

There was something else... something was different. He somehow felt like his heart wasn't just his own now. There was another presence...

"You can feel now, can't you? You can feel how different you are now," Young Xehanort continued, "That's because you now share a piece of my future self's heart and ultimately- mine."

Sora wanted to deny every bit of it. So much so that he shook his head. Then perhaps out of curiosity, he looked down at his hands, his eyes widened once more. This skin did not look like his at all, no, this skin was a little darker than that. He closed his eyes tightly, hoping that when he re-opened them they would be back to normal. That was not the case.

The teen moved away from Young Xehanort to look at the closest mirror. He was traumatized by what he saw in his reflection. The reflection looked just like him, but the eyes and the white strands in his hair reminded him of Xehanort. Sora's golden orbs stared right back at him. Was this really him?

"This can't be... How could this has happened?" Sora said, his voice shaken, "This can't really be happening, I'm not..."

Meanwhile Young Xehanort was taking pleasure in seeing how Sora was reacting. It proved to be entertaining, and he certainly needed the entertainment. He chuckled lightly and proceeded to walk towards Sora before stopping right behind him.

"This is really happening. I already told you that your fate couldn't be altered. It was already a fixed point," the taller man replied as a matter of factly, "But you already know who you are now, former hero of light."

Sora remained quiet for a while but never once looked away from his reflection. He could feel it in his heart... or rather the one he now shared, that his heart no longer belonged to the light.

"I'm... the Thirteenth Vessel, a seeker of darkness."


	3. Finally Awake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Young Xehanort tells a white lie.

Days felt like years as the youngest Xehanort watched the brunette sleep. Why was he watching him? Perhaps it was out of curiosity but it was also because he was chosen to. His most future self and the rest of the remaining (conscious) Seekers, as some of them had returned to their own time for the time being, had concluded that someone needed to keep an eye on their newest member while he slept. Ultimately the youngest had been chosen. After all, they didn't want Sora to wake up and possibly escape. It was unlikely but they wanted to be prepared.

Young Xehanort didn't mind watching the teen, in fact he practically volunteered. He wanted to be the first person Sora saw when the boy woke up. It would be entertaining to see the shock on Sora's face and to see him panic. At the same time he wanted to be the first to welcome Sora as well.

On the outside it looked like Sora was sleeping soundly but appearances can be deceiving. The boy was being engulfed by the darkness, putting out of the light that had shined so brightly. The darkness had a way of messing with those it was corrupting and it was even worse when mixed with his oldest self's heart. There was turmoil, no doubt about it.

What Young Xehanort was most curious about was just how much of the heart would change Sora. In the case of Terra it had completely taken over until there was nothing left. Of course this was different, Sora got only a portion of the full heart that Terra had received. That mixed with the boy's stubbornness meant that he wouldn't be consumed by it, not completely. Xehanort didn't want Sora to lose himself.

The Seeker positioned himself to leaned against a wall close to Sora's bed. Golden orbs stared down at Sora's sleeping form, eagerly waiting for the other to finally wake. It was then that the newest vessel began to stir. A smile graced the youngest Xehanort's face. That smile morphed into a grin when Sora suddenly shot up and he could see the same golden eyes as the boy looked around.

"Phew! That was only just a dream," Sora said with a relief that wouldn't last long, "Riku? Are you there? Anyone?"

It was just as Xehanort thought, despite how strong the darkness in his most future's self's heart was, Sora retained his sense of self. He internally sighed. As predicted he would have to come up with a lie. They couldn't give the boy hope.

"I'm afraid that wasn't just a dream," Young Xehanort finally commented with a smirk, "And Riku isn't here, he never even came for you."

The reaction he got was absolutely priceless.

"X-Xehanort? What are you doing here and where am I?" Sora replied, seemingly confused as he got out of bed and appeared to be unstable, "What do you mean Riku never came?"

"It's exactly like it sounded. When we came for you Riku didn't even bother to show up and save you," Xehanort replied still smirking, quickly grabbing Sora to prevent him from falling, "Why am I here? The better question is why shouldn't I be here? After all, someone had to take care of our precious thirteenth when he woke up. It's been two days and we were beginning to wonder if you'd ever wake up."

When Sora went quiet, Xehanort could only assume that the boys mind, and heart, was racing. He could tell his words were effecting Sora.

"You can feel it now, can't you? You can feel how different you are now," Young Xehanort continued, his voice slightly softer, "You feel different because of that part of my future self's heart, my heart. It tends to have that effect."

He didn't get a verbal reaction but was instead greeted by an entertaining one. When the teen noticed the change in his skin color, he reacted like he'd been through trauma. This made Young Xehanort feel pleasure, something he rarely felt. The reaction to his appearance overall was just the cherry on top.

"This can't be... How could this have happened?" Sora said, his voice shaken, "This can't really be happening, I'm not..."

Young Xehanort chuckled as he advanced forward, only stopping when he was directly behind Sora. "Oh but this is happening. I told you before, your fate couldn't be altered. It was a fixed point," he saying matter of factly, "But you already know who you are, former hero of the light."

The realization could be seen in the teens eyes. Sora knew exactly what Young Xehanort was talking about.

"I'm thirteenth vessel... a Seeker of Darkness, "Sora's voice was low, barely audible but just loud enough for Xehanort to understand. The pain was obvious.

The white-haired male brought his arms up and wrapped them around Sora in a small display of affection. It wasn't something he'd usually do and he didn't quite know why either. But if it helped comforted Sora enough to warm up than it really didn't matter what he thought.

"That's right, but there's no need to feel down in the dumps, Sora. You'll see that this is where you truly belong," Xehanort whispered into Sora's ear, earning him a shudder from the other Seeker, "The Darkness can offer you so much more than the light ever could."

Apparently Sora didn't quite agree with Young Xehanort, enough so to push him away. "What if I said I don't believe you?" Sora spoke up and shook his head, "I have friends in the light... they need me."

"Tell me one thing, Sora. If your friends truly cared for you wouldn't they have tried to save you by now? If you ask you I'd say they don't need you that bad," Xehanort replied calmly, trying to mess with the teen's head, golden eyes staring into each other, "You no longer reside in the light. As our Thirteenth, your heart has been corrupted by the darkness and you can never go back. You know that."

Sora looked down, as if admitting defeat and stood still. Xehanort once again smirked and ruffled Sora's brunette and white locks fondly. It would take some time but eventually Sora would give in.

"You have no need to worry, you have myself and the others now. Soon they won't even cross your mind," Young Xehanort continued, "I promise we'll take very good care of you."

Sora wanted so badly to hate Xehanort right now but yet he couldn't. This man, no matter what version it was, had caused him a lot of pain. All starting with Ansem. From there on it hadn't gotten any better. However, now he had a piece of same heart in him.

Come to think of it, he didn't know all that much about Xehanort anyway. He had never met the original, he's only heard things about him. His mind told him not to trust any of them but his heart was a different story.

This particular Xehanort, this Young Xehanort seemed to be different from the rest. He seemed more relatable and less maniacal. Even if he was the same person, Sora felt more comfortable with him than the rest. Of course the rest he wasn't all that fond of in general.

"Riku always said that I was his light, that I've always been able to keep his darkness away," Sora spoke softly as he looked down, doing nothing as he felt Young Xehanort ruffle his hair, "My friends were always there for me, especially Riku... but you're right, I can't go back."

He went quiet for a moment before continuing, "I just can't believe Riku never tried... I thought I was his best friend?"

Calmness turned to frustration and that frustration turned into anger. It was as if thinking about Riku and having heard everything Young Xehanort was stirring up his emotions to a point of slight instability.

His hair was ruffled again. "Didn't I just tell you not worry? Everything will work out fine, just be patient." The taller man said before backing away. "I have some business to take of, but don't go anywhere, got?"

With that Young Xehanort left the room, closing the door behind him.

A younger figure stood alongside the other seekers, wearing his normal stone-faced expression.

"He's finally awake but it appears that he's still refusing to let go of his friends..." the youngest spoke, his tone serious.

"He is but a naive a boy but it shouldn't take too long to change that," the oldest said before turning to another one with familiar blue hair, "What about on your end?"

"It appears that the girl, Kairi can wield a keyblade... And Axel intends on helping their cause," Saix replied in a monotone voice, "I also suspect that Riku isn't gonna to give up on Sora. That's all I know."

Master Xehanort grinned. "Everything is going according to plan."


	4. Bad News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bad news is broken to Yen Sid. Riku really doesn't like Lea.

Riku had every intention on returning to Yen Sid's tower with Sora. But obviously things didn't turn out in their favor. Xehanort won in the end, despite their best efforts. If they hadn't been held down Sora wouldn't be where he was, they would have been able to save him, prevent that heart from reaching him. Even if Axel had shown up and tried to save the day, it had been too late.

Of course, they still would have taken Sora, whether he had that piece of Xehanorts heart in him or not. And they tried, they just didn't make it in time. So now they were back empty handed. Riku was disappointed and ashamed. Now they had to break the news to Yen Sid.

The group was standing in front of Yen Sid's desk, waiting for the elder to speak up.

"So Xehanort planned this from the beginning..." Yen Sid finally said, a hint of worry in his voice, "And if what you say is true, that means that the thirteen darknesses are united."

"But what do we do about Sora, surely there is something we can do to save him," Mickey suggested but already suspected what the answer would be.

"Xehanort's heart has most likely taken over, or at the very least corrupted Sora's," Yen Sid pointed out, "Even for someone with a heart as strong as Sora's could affected. I doubt there is anything we could do now."

"King Mickey is right, there has to be something we can do," Riku said sadly as he clenched his fists, "I'm not going to just stand around and do nothing while he has Sora! Besides, if anyone can fight Xehanort's influence, it's Sora."

Perhaps it was misguided hope, but Riku believed Sora was strong enough. If he was able to free Riku of Ansem's darkness, who was created from Xehanort, then he could fight Xehanort. Either way, he wasn't going to give up on Sora. Not when Sora had fought so hard to save him. Sora was there when he needed saving, was his light. Riku would be Sora's light. No matter what, Riku was going to get Sora back.

"Sora was able to save me once when I was under the influence of Ansem's darkness," Riku continued, "Isn't his darkness just the same?"

Master Yen Sid smiled sadly at Riku. "Your loyalty to Sora is respectable and I want to be able to believe what you say, but we must be prepared for the worst." The wizard stated calmly, staying as neutral as he could, "You must understand that this case is different. A part of Xehanort's heart is permanently apart of Sora, it will always be there. Unlike you, who was merely possessed. Regardless, this isn't Xehanort's first experience with corrupting strong willed spirits. Case in point, Terra."

"It's not permanent if we remove it," Riku chimed, a false sense of hope, "Maybe if we remove it we can truly save Sora!" It was easier said then done, and they all knew it.

"C'mon, don't be so stupid man! I think we all know that Xehanort wouldn't let that happen even if we tried," Lea muttered and shook his head, "Sure, we can go on thinking that things will be all fine and dandy but what if they aren't? I want to save the kid too, but we gotta be ready. So the question is, where do we go from here?"

There was something about the way Riku looked at 'Axel', and it wasn't necessarily friendly. In fact this was partly that idiots fault. Things would have turned out different if 'Axel' had shown up merely seconds prior, before Xehanort's heart had gotten as close as it did. Not to mention the fact that 'Axel' dropped Sora. The guy practically handed Sora over, gift-wrapped with a nice greeting card on top. While there was no denying that Riku played his role in the loss, but it was easy to point fingers at 'Axel.'

"You have no say in this, Axel," Riku snapped at the red-head, practically shooting daggers with his eyes, "You're part of the reason why we are even in this position! If it weren't for you Xehanort wouldn't have gotten his grubby hands on Sora!"

It was obvious that Riku was simply venting. Emotions were clouding the teens judgement, preventing him from thinking clearly. Lea probably would have retaliated, but it was Yen Sid who spoke first.

"Calm down, the both of you, now is not the time to argue," Yen Sid said and almost immediately all tension lessened, "Now, we can try and find Sora. There could be a small chance that Sora is still the Sora we know. However, we are still short on keyblade wielders, and are heavily outnumbered."

Yen Sid looked towards Donald and Goofy, gesturing to the door. "But we have someone that may be able to aid us." He nodded towards the two, who opened the set of doors behind them, "Kairi, you may come in."

Riku looked back in shock, "KAIRI?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> |Sorry this chapter is so small, I promise the next one will be longer and (hopefully) better. And thank you to those who have been patiently waiting! Feedback would be wonderful. :)|


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